5th August 2016

This month has not been too eventful in Guild World, but the wider world has been rocked by events in Nice, Turkey and America.

In the UK, we have a new Prime Minister!

These headlines have somewhat eclipsed what has been going on elsewhere – for example, the famine in Malawi. Christian Aid has launched a special appeal which comes as 6.5 million people in Malawi are facing food shortages because of failed harvests across the region.

Please support this appeal for our brothers and sisters in Malawi.... more information below.

Last week, I had the opportunity to be a tourist in my home town of Perth. The highlight of the day was a visit to the Weeping Window sculpture at The Black Watch Castle and Museum – the sculpture is a cascade of several thousand ceramic poppies, part of the installation of "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" at the Tower of London in the autumn of 2014.

I visited at a time when there have been many acts of remembrance of the Battle of the Somme. If you possibly can, try to visit this most poignant reminder of the horror of World War 1. There can be very few families who cannot count at least one relative who was lost in this war – supposedly the "war to end all wars".

On a happier note, I am getting excited about the Annual Gathering – not long to go now! All the preparations are well in hand, and it promises to be a really joyful day.

If you have any extra tickets which you don’t need, please send them back to the office so that someone else can use them – there is a waiting list!

During the month of August, the National Youth Assembly will take place at Gartmore. Their discussions will be on gender justice (in Scotland and in the world), mental health and the future of ministry & fresh expressions. I am hoping to spend some time with them on the Sunday.

Our joint working group has received good responses to our questionnaire seeking examples and information about intergenerational work going on in our churches – some if not all of these will be included in our report to the General Assembly in 2017.

Please pray for the world - pray for Nice, Turkey, America, and for our own country in these turbulent times, for leaders and decision takers, that peace can prevail, through our Lord Jesus Christ. God Bless!

Guild Office is moving, but only a short distance! We have been asked to swap spaces with the Pensions department, whose staff numbers are increasing and we will move to their rooms in July. It's still on the fourth floor of "121" and basically next door to our present offices.

Staffing

On 18 July, we welcomed Nicola Robinson to the staff team as Admin Support worker. Nicola is an Elder in Augustine United Church in Edinburgh and also works part-time for Edinburgh Churches Together, so she comes with strong church connections! We look forward to working with her and Nicola looks forward to meeting and supporting the wider Guild membership.

Intergenerational Working Group

Just a wee reminder of information we published in the last e-news.Following an instruction from the General Assembly 2014, staff and members of the National Youth Assembly and the Guild have formed the Church's Intergenerational Working Group. As part of its report for GA2017, the Group is asking churches across the country for examples where generations are working together. Could you provide a story from your church?

The 2016 Annual Gathering is approaching quickly! We look forward to seeing the Caird Hall packed to capacity for the day and to welcoming our many guests, notably Rt Rev Russell Barr, Moderator of the General Assembly and writer and broadcaster, Sally Magnusson, our two main speakers.

Sally's book "Where do the Memories Go?" will be on sale and we hope that it will be possible to have them signed on the day...confirmation to follow at the Gathering itself.

Colours of Joy!

Since the theme for the Gathering and the year is "Go in Joy!", it's been suggested that we have a really colourful day. So...if you are choosing an outfit, why not make it as bright as you can? Let's belie any stereotypes of Presbyterian grey!

If you have any tickets that are no longer needed, please return them to Guild Office and we can pass them on to people on our waiting list.

Live streaming

For people who can't be with us in Dundee, we are again providing a live on-line streaming of the event. This will be easily found on the Guild's page of the Church of Scotland website.

If you are arranging for a group to watch the event together, we can even send copies of the programme to you so you can really feel part of everything! Just let us know in advance of the number of copies you would need.

Coming soon...the Big Book of Gui(l)d Ideas!

We are delighted to say that a new resource aimed at supporting and encouraging Guilds as they plan and develop their work is about to be published. the "Big Book of Gui(l)d ideas" is actually four volumes, looking at starting a Guild, planning a programme, building a Guild and different ways of running a Guild. The resource will evolve over the years as new ideas emerge. The books will be published over the Summmer and launched at the Annual Gathering.

The Guild's "Big Sing at the Assembly" saw over 1000 people gather to celebrate and praise God together. The evening was led by Very Rev Albert Bogle, whose energy, enthusiasm and insight contributed greatly to a wonderful evening. We sang ten favourite hymns, chosen to reflect a wider variety of styles, but with the common theme of being well-loved and sure to be sung with gusto in a brave attempt to take the roof off the Assembly Hall!

We were joined by Rev Dr Levi Nyondo of Malawi, General Secretary of the Synod of Livingstonia of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian. Levi is a friend of the Guild and brought greetings from the Synod. He also thanked the Guild for its support of the Loudon Teacher Training College in Embangweni, where offerings from the Big Sings in Dunfermline, Greenock and this one at the Assembly will furnish most of the bedrooms in the student hostel.

The Big Sing at Assembly raised around £ 3,600 to add to the £ 2,000 raised in November...an amazing effort from everyone concerned! Above is a recent picture of the college, whose aim is not just to train new teachers, but to concentrate on training women to help encourage girls to stay in education in Malawi.

It's a really worthwhile cause and just one way in which we can work with the CCAP and take forward an ever closer contact between the Guild and that country.

Sunday lunch was served in the church hall and was well-attended and well-received.There was also a lunch date on the Saturday, when a special family focussed "Cafe Church" service and Messy church session were run with the help of a leader supported by the Guild Initiative Fund.

The exhibition was of the work of the church's Photography Club; the film shown was (appropriately) "The Queen".

The kite workshop really took off! (Sorry!) Kites were made on the Saturday and flown on the Sunday, rounding off a great time of friendship which saw the congregation welcome its own members and others and had people of all ages join together.

The whole exeperience was evaluated with a questionnaire. Views were inevitably mixed, but the general feeling was clearly one of a positive experience from which much can be learned and added to the range of things that church can mean!

Our Project Partner "Feed the Minds" have been in touch to tell us about an event they are involved with during the Just Festival in Edinburgh...follow this link to a Facebook page telling more about it.

The Guild has been involved in the planning of the "Care for Creation Conference"....details are in the poster above. If you are interested in attending, please contact Nikki Skinner in World Mission...her e-mail address is shown.